What is Digg?92 Comments
- chrissku, on 09/05/2008, -3/+32So what were the cowboys in the 1800's wearing?
- nodnod, on 09/05/2008, -0/+18What's with all the negative comments here? This guy was 107 years old and still running his company. I'd never buy nor do I like that style of shirt but you have to respect what the man did and how he stuck with it till the day he died. Can any of you imagine still going to work doing something you like when you are 107?!!?? Forget the shirts, this is about a 107 year old CEO.
- victorrya, on 09/05/2008, -7/+23What a cool story. This is what I love about digg. Reading stories that I otherwise would have never stumbled across. Thanks for posting it.
- BufordT, on 09/05/2008, -3/+13Did you read the story? Here is just a taste of what this guy is all about:
"Republican or not, globalisation was lost on him. He insisted that his shirts were manufactured in America. Sure, it cost more than getting them sewn in China; but if Chinese people made them, that would take jobs from Americans and mean they couldn’t buy his shirts anyway."
"Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart, was a “hillbilly son of a bitch”. Walton constantly harassed him to supply Wal-Mart with shirts, but Mr Weil never wanted any customer to take more than 5% of his business. He felt he would lose control that way, and he considered discounters low-life in general." - chibimmy, on 09/05/2008, -4/+13I'm not one for the "western" fashion, but I can respect a man's vision and success. RIP, good sir.
- ScottyF311, on 09/05/2008, -3/+12He didn't invent western wear so much, but he did come up with the snap button, which is on pretty much every cowboy shirt now.
As a guy who used to work above his store in Denver, I wish his family well and may he rest in peace. - whereiseljefe, on 09/05/2008, -7/+14The skulls of their fallen enemies
- VitriolAndAngst, on 09/05/2008, -1/+8My dad's family raised long-horn cattle in Texas. My great grandma was the first school teacher (or marm), in the panhandle of Texas. He grew up in Groom.
When he was three, babies didn't get their hair cut, and for convenience had a throw-over long shirt. The effect looked like a girl in a skirt.
The Cowboy hat, was only worn by people who broke horse -- meaning, not the person who owned the ranch or anyone with money. If you broke a leg trying to tame a wild horse -- there wasn't money to support farmers who couldn't walk. Consequently, the ORIGIONAL cowboys, were of course, all the minorities -- Indians and blacks.
My dad, as proper people in the day, wore a derby hat. The image of the old west is 90% bull, and the rest manure. The upper classes wore outfits that you would see in the east. The "cowboy look" is equivalent to White Guys adopting the most def Urban Ghetto Rapper outfit, and talking about their roots. The ranch hands might have worn something similar to these outfits. But, I think history shows that style is set either by the king, or the peasant -- so nothing new here.
This Ronald Reagan cowboy look, and you can see it definitely in Dallas -- is typical of the All Hat, No Cattle folks who have this fricken' hollywood illusion about the old west.
I don't think anyone has corrected for these fantasies, and consequently, we all think of plaid shirts and cowboy hats in the old west. The designs of this guy were pretty good -- but they still draw their roots from singing hollywood cowboys of the silver screen.
Clint Eastwood, seems to have had the most bad ass outfits, straight brim hat, part poncho part authentic, not an expert here -- but he may have gotten it right. Or they might have said; "hey, this looks cool." - dibbkd, on 09/05/2008, -4/+10Agreed, and this was on NPR last week. Good article.
Not sure why you're getting dug down..
In fact I don't know why most of the posts for this article are getting dug down.
I'm sure I won't know why my post will get dug down either. - sindex, on 09/05/2008, -5/+9Pretty interesting read. I never thought about where 'western' fashion came from... I guess everything's invented by someone.
- protogenxl, on 09/05/2008, -1/+6Marty, you're going to have to do something about those clothes. You walk around town dressed like that, you're liable to get shot.
- SubjectiveC, on 09/05/2008, -3/+8The man who invented Native American clothing shed a tear when he heard the news.
- inactive, on 09/05/2008, -7/+11If you're going to leave something behind, this is the way to dot it. His clothing solved practical problems for a trade while becoming a fashion statement at the same time.
- BufordT, on 09/05/2008, -6/+10FTA: There were cowboys; but they wore dusty working clothes, accessorised with sweaty bandannas and clanking spurs, that no one much cared to copy.
- inactive, on 09/05/2008, -0/+5Wow I always think cowboy was ways back to 1700. So what did cowboys wear in the old days?
- blackc2004, on 09/05/2008, -7/+10Check out this great write up by Charles Phoenix.
http://www.charlesphoenix.com/jack-a-weil-1901-200 ...
Sounds like this guy truly was a legend! - VitriolAndAngst, on 09/05/2008, -1/+5Other Great misconceptions in historic art:
All those light earth tones you see in some in the Spanish Missionary Western furniture today -- that is the result of bleaching. The originals were garish and highly colored with reds and blues. When later designers "rediscovered" this work, it was washed out by all the sun. The result was good, so these aren't always bad mistakes.
The original Roman statues and buildings, had the tackiest, and most intense pigments they could find at the time. We think of all these stately white columns and statues, because the gold leaf and reds and yellows all washed off. I believe a lot of the busts had the eyes and skin color painted in. So they would have looked like your dime store manikin.
Michelangelo's paintings on the Sistine chapel, were also, not all these sedate earth tones. 99% of the population, had to walk through dirt, couldn't afford paint -- so, of course, they used the brightest, most saturated colors they could get their hands on. I saw an analysis of what the paintings should have looked like, and it was like someone opened up the pages of Heavy Metal magazine. If they had lasers and neon -- I'm sure they would have put that in as well to impress the average peon.
This Mr. Weil invented an impression of the old west. Very often, it is the romanticization of something that makes it better than it really was. - partchny, on 09/05/2008, -0/+4Dugg for first Economist article on DIgg.
- Trigonometron, on 09/05/2008, -1/+5You should probably get out more. Take a deep breath. Let it go.
- GyroLC, on 09/05/2008, -0/+3No, but actually driving cattle does.
- inactive, on 09/04/2008, -8/+10The vintage shirts are musician favorites. Quite a legend.
RIP. - PeteNice0110, on 09/05/2008, -0/+3Yes! Good call....ZING!
- pintomp3, on 09/05/2008, -2/+4sounds like a true american. much better than the reagan types who appropriated the image of the hard-working man in order to favor his wealthy buddies.
- santaliqueur, on 09/05/2008, -1/+4If THAT was comedy gold, you need to re-tune your sense of humor.
- BufordT, on 09/05/2008, -1/+2Maybe because it's a part of the culture of their home state.
- sternje, on 09/05/2008, -0/+2"Looks like ya got that shirt off of a dead Chinee."
- EndouOuto, on 09/05/2008, -4/+5They're from the west?
- smileydude, on 09/05/2008, -0/+2legend shmegend, he was no nudie cohn
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nudie_Cohn - inactive, on 09/05/2008, -3/+4It's basically paraphrasing Winston Churchill, he said something like "A young conservative has no heart, an old liberal has no brain"
- SubjectiveC, on 09/05/2008, -0/+2In all seriousness, this was a great read. It's not all that common to come across people who help shape and define society with passion and being good at what they do as their tools.
- PeteNice0110, on 09/05/2008, -0/+2No, I just think all of you red neck idiots make the US look bad. Do you realize how trashy we look to the rest of the world....it's pathetic. It makes me sick.
- GyroLC, on 09/05/2008, -1/+3My grandpa, who was a cowboy in Colorado and Wyoming, wore those shirts every day of his life.
- footballer7604, on 09/05/2008, -0/+2I hope that when you die someone makes a retarded comment like yours about your stupid ass, because unlike this man, you deserve it...
- Nesh, on 09/05/2008, -0/+2Somewhere there's a very sad Biker, Indian, Construction worker, and Navy Man.
- inactive, on 09/05/2008, -6/+8I'm sure he was a nice guy. But that style is what people who have never seen a cow think cowboys wore. It's as fake as Ronald Reagan.
- geekchic, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1It's not the first time The Economist has front page'd on Digg :)
http://digg.com/search?s=economist.com&submit=Sear ... - inactive, on 09/05/2008, -1/+2The shirts weren't even invented until 1946, so your grandfather probably didn't wear them "every day of his life." But that is beside the point. My point was that real people work real cows every day wearing whatever they want. Wearing a snap button shirt and a funny hat while riding a horse doesn't make you a cowboy.
- buckrogers1965, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1Boots, with spurs and a smile.
- sagegoku666, on 09/05/2008, -4/+4what a nice sounding guy. rip
- Nu007, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1Rockmount with extensive fantastic press clips of its Founder Jack Weil. Much to Read.
http://www.rockmount.com/pressclippings.htm - PeteNice0110, on 09/21/2008, -0/+1Proud, I know I'm doing better than every country-looking, white trash piece of ***** in this God forsaken country.
- buckrogers1965, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1So we are attacking Pakistan because of gay cowboy clothing. I did not know that. *L*
- highgeere, on 09/05/2008, -1/+2"Jack A. Weil, patriarch of western clothing, died on _August 13th_"
Way to be on the ball. - sternje, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1So long, pard'. See ya in that big roundup in the sky.
- anarchyinthekr, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1pearl snaps FTW!
- whatever01, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1All hat. No cows.
- nuhrd, on 09/05/2008, -1/+2Hipsters everywhere are in mourning.
- thespiff, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1What a remarkable man. If only more businessmen operated with his principles.
- kenedamick, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1I have a closet full of grieving clothing. Thank you sir and RIP.
- lamejoketeller, on 09/05/2008, -0/+1My western-style plaid is my favorite shirt. It's still one of the hippest looks around today.
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